1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates protective clothing, more specifically, to a leg protector for use with grass and weed trimmers.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years powered, hand-held, weed and grass trimmers, utilizing a rotating filament to accomplish the trimming, have come into wide spread use. Such trimmers are generally characterized by an elongated body in the form of a tubular shaft having forward and rearward ends. A spool of cutting filament is mounted at the forward end of the trimmer and a length or segment of filament is unwound from the spool so as to perform the cutting action as the spool is rotated at high speed. In some trimmer models the forward end of the trimmer is provided with a shield facing the operator to protect the operator from the rotating filaments as well as sticks, gravel, stones and other debris which might otherwise be thrown toward the operator by the rotating filament. However, in most trimmers, the shield does not extend in a full circle, and thus, is exposed as it does its work. Thus, grass and weed clippings and other debris may reach the operator from the unshielded portions of the trimmer. By the very nature of a weed trimmer, no shield is capable of preventing all clippings and debris from reaching the operator.
Lawn trimmer shields for partially protecting the operator from clippings and other debris and for protecting trees, plants, and the like from damage from being struck by the rotating filament of the trimmer are well known. Examples of such shields may be seen in the following references may be seen in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,898, issued to James J. Hartwig on Jan. 7, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,720, issued to Louis V. Corsi on Apr. 30, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,187, issued to Patrick J. Ryan on Sep. 17, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,889, issued to Jess W. Taylor on Jul. 11, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,371, issued to Andrew J. Graham on Dec. 23, 1986; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,422, issued to Randall A. Beihoffer on Oct. 9, 1984. U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,349 issued to Dolin on Jun. 11, 1996 describes a protective shield for a grass and weed trimmer which helps prevent grass and weed clippings and other debris from reaching the operator. However, none of the above mentioned inventions describe a substantially tubular shield capable of being worn around a wearer's leg for protecting the leg from injury caused by flying debris.
Several inventions are known to describe a substantially tubular shield for protecting a wearer's legs. For example, U.S. Patent No. Des. 278,567 issued to Rasmussen on Apr. 30, 1985 discloses an ornamental design for a martial arts leg and foot protector. U.S. Patent No. Des. 361,161 issued to Dama on Aug. 8, 1995 discloses an ornamental design for a knee protector. U.S. Patent No. Des. 362,087 discloses an ornamental design for a shin guard.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,594,086 issued on Jul. 27, 1926 to C. F. Arnold describes a sportsman's wading stocking. U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,864 issued on Oct. 27,1964 to J. A. Brewer describes an improved protective legging for use in industrial and other hazardous locations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,036 issued on Aug. 30, 1966 to M. Parker et al. describes a protective legging for protecting a wearer's legs from snake-infested and heavy undergrowth areas. U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,315 issued to Castiglia on Dec. 22, 1981 describes a shin guard adapted to tightly surround a wearer's legs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,503 issued to Hightower, Jr. et al. on Dec. 15, 1992 describes a protective garment for shielding a wearer from snake bites upon the lower portion of the leg. U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,967 issued to Carter on Dec. 29, 1992 describes a protective leg and arm covering manufactured from a single piece of material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,470 issued to Miller on Nov. 5, 1996 describes a shin protector defined by a rectangular, flexible, impervious body. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,506 issued to Hightower, Jr. on Sep. 22, 1987 describes a protective garment for shielding a wearer from snake bites.
None of the above inventions describe a leg protector defined by a substantially tubular body made of a flexible material, the substantially tubular body having attached at one end thereof an elastic band for enabling the body to fit snugly around a wearer's leg just above the knee. Moreover, none of the above inventions describe a leg protector made of a flexible material, the protector being defined by a substantially tubular body having an elastic band attached to one end thereof and a weight member attached to the other end for forming a leg shield normally subjected to tension forces when being worn around a wearer's leg.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.